At the July conference of ASERA in Melbourne this year two paper were
presented that gave depressing reports about how valiant efforts to build
recognition of traditional knowledge into science curricula in PNG and in NZ had
been thwarted in the case of PNG and led to little if any advantage to the
indigenous group in the NZ case.

The Papua New Guinea case seems to have been thwarted because funding
agencies like the World Bank take advice from persons who are quite unaware of
the very substantial work on culture and science education that has been done
over the last ten years. In some cases these "expert" advisers may be
expatriates from the country applying but are now in many ways by their own
success in past years separated from the students and their contextual
situations that cry out for recognition in the teaching of science.

Michael Michie and I conferred about this and decided to approach the members
of the Networks with a proposition that a Statement be prepared by the Networks
and that some of its members should take the step to arrange face-to-face
meetings with very senior members of bodies like the World Bank, Asia Bank and
UNESCO.

The fact that the 27th Assembly of ICSU in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
endorsed the substantial Report of the Study Group on Science and Traditional
Knowledge in which the importance of traditional knowledge is affirmed, gives us
a strong platform on which to base our Statement.

For those who do not know of this Study Group, it was set up following the
World Conference on Science organized by UNESCO and ICSU and held in Budapest in
1999. ICSU in 2000 appointed this Study Group but it appears no science
educators were part of the Group, the Report itself confirms that there is no
discussion in it of the implications for the teaching and learning of science
were considered.

This is, however, a powerful report and we should seek to extend it rather
than do something on our own and hence appear to be unaware of ICSU’s moves in
this direction.

ABC
Central Australia - The environmental workbookEmma
Haskin, (8October2003)
Sitting in a classroom and learning from a city-based textbook with city-based
examples doesn t mean much to kids out bush in Central Australia. http://www.abc.net.au/central/stories/s960838.htm

Te
Awa Tupua - The Whanganui Iwi Exhibitionopened at
Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New
Zealand) on Saturday 29 November 2003. In partnership with Te Papa, the
Whanganui iwi present the stories of their past and the challenges and hopes for
their present and future, supported and enhanced by taonga (treasures and
objects), photographs, video footage, and computer interactives.

Te
Awa Tupua is built on the whakataukï (proverb) 'E rere kau mai te awa nui mai i
te kahui maunga ki Tangaroa - ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au.' 'The great river
flows from the mountain clan to Tangaroa - I am the river, the river is me.' The
exhibition shows what the river means to the Whanganui iwi in both the physical
and spiritual sense.

The
exhibition focuses on three time periods: the pre-European traditional period,
the period of European contact and colonisation until the present, and the
future. It presents key elements of the river life and culture of the Whanganui
iwi, whose ancestral lands follow the Whanganui River - the longest navigable
river in New Zealand. This river runs from the mountains of Ruapehu, Tongariro,
and Ngauruhoe to the sea.

Important
issues in the iwi's history are examined, including how the river and the iwi
have been affected by changes to the lands bordering the river, the use of the
river's resources, as well as the issues around Moutoa Gardens, known to Mäori
as Pakaitore. The exhibition concludes withwith an overview of where the iwi are
heading and includes a look at the maintenance of te reo Mäori, marae-based
initiatives, and the future of education.

A
feature of iwi exhibitions is the presence of kaumätua (elders) at Te Papa
during the time the exhibition runs. A kaumatua and kuia from the Whanganui iwi
will be involved in the exhibition and will also carry out ceremonial duties on
Te Papa's marae. Te Otinga Te Pehi Waretini and Piki Waretini will hold these
positions initially.

Te
Awa Tupua - The Whanganui Iwi Exhibition is sponsored by Wanganui District
Council and Horizons Regional Council. Horizons Regional Council Chairman, Mr
Chris Lester, said that Horizons see their sponsorship as a first stage in
strengthening their relationship with Whanganui iwi and a unique opportunity to
promote environmental education through understanding the land management
practices of the past.

'Wanganui
District Council is proud to support the Te Awa Tupua exhibition at Te Papa and
to represent Wanganui by joining with iwi at the opening of this significant
exhibition,' Wanganui Mayor Chas Poynter said.

Te
Awa Tupua - The Whanganui Iwi Exhibition is the fourth in a continuing series of
iwi exhibitions at Te Papa. These began in 1997 with Te Atiawa iwi, followed by
exhibitions from Te Aupouri and most recently Ngäi Tühoe iwi.

ION Updates are prepared by the Aboriginal Research Institute at the
University of South Australia and are forwarded to e-mail members of the
Indigenous Science Network regularly (about every two weeks). The following are
some highlights since the October Bulletin. ION Updates also list positions
vacant, particularly in universities.

The tenth and eleventh of our Working Papers have recently been posted to the Melbourne
University Private website and are available to download if you wish.

The title of Working Paper 10 is 'Environment, Development and Security in
Pacific Island Countries'. The author is Jon Barnett from the School of
Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies of the University of
Melbourne.

The title of Working Paper 11 is 'Economic independence through the expansion
of private sector enterprise - The "prescriptive unreality" of Niue's
development planning'. The author is Philip Cohn.

This series of seminars was hosted by the North Australia Research Unit. All
available papers have now been loaded to the website, including the last two
given recently. http://naru.anu.edu.au/
under the heading seminars

ABC PROGRAM SALES

Also available is the Program Sales Indigenous Catalogue for purchasing of
videos. This is a catalogue of the latest releases. We are able to send you the
Acrobat file on request if you would like to have a copy. The attachment is a
large PDF file and some people may find it difficult to download. Send us an
email at the address below and we will forward you the attachment.http://www.abc.net.au/programsales/ind_hm.htm

Dream and the Dreaming
For over thirty thousand years, the Desert People of Central Australia had
walked their lands, their life governed by ancient and immutable laws laid down
by the totemic ancestors and their Dreamings.http://www.abc.net.au/programsales/programs/s849199.htmA CoJo Production with assistance from the
Film Finance Corporation Australia 2003 55mins

Recent books of interest

Indigenous science/life

Brooks, David, for Mparntwe People. (2003). A town like Mparntwe: A guide
to the Dreaming tracks and sites of Alice Springs. Alice Springs: Jukurrpa
Books.

Malbunka, Mary. (2003). When I was little, like you. Sydney: Allen and Unwin. (A children's book exploring
Aboriginal life in Central Australia.)

If you come across any books which may be of interest to other networkers or
you would like to write a review, please feel free to submit them to the Bulletin. MM

CONFERENCES

2004 NZAEE CONFERENCE REGISTRATIONS

Registrations for the 2004 NZAEE Environmental Education Conference
open on Monday, 20 October 2003. The closing date for registrations is Monday, 1 December 2003. The conference
is taking place from 14-17 January 2004 in Christchurch. Full programme and registration details can be found online at http://www.conferenceteam.co.nz/nzaee
or by following the links on the NZAEE website http://www.nzaee.org.nz/conferences.

The Pacific Circle Consortium (PCC) cordially invites you to its 28th
conference to be held in Hong Kong SAR, China, 21 - 23 April 2004. Your
participation will contribute to improving mutual understanding and creating a
dialogue across diverse cultures in the Asia-Pacific region regarding the
importance of civic values and social responsibility.

Paper proposals are welcome from both PCC members and others.
Participants interested in submitting an individual paper or forming a panel
should submit an abstract of 150 words to the conference secretariat by 13
February 2004 via the conference website, fax or mail. Conference Website: www.ied.edu.hk/pcc2004

A list of conferences is also maintained by the University of
South Australia's Indigenous Online Network, at http://www.ion.unisa.edu.au/conf/conferences.html.
ION Updates are released fortnightly and are forwarded to members of
this
Network. If you wish to receive these Updates directly or you know of other people who
would like to receive them, please ask them to send a message to ion@mail.ion.unisa.edu.au
asking that they be included on the distribution lists.
Anyone with information
or resources they would like added to the site can email from the website or to the general ION email address.